1. Sibrina N. Collins, PhD College of Wooster
12 Slides About African American Contributions to the Chemical Sciences
Sibrina N. Collins, PhD
College of Wooster
Created by Sibrina N. Collins, The College of Wooster and posted on VIPEr ( on July 21, Copyright Sibrina N. Collins This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Share.

2. Overview Impact of George Washington Carver Changing Demographics
Selected Profiles of Chemists
Conclusions
Useful Resources

3. George Washington Carver (1865-1943)
Born Diamond Grove, Missouri
B.S. (1894) and M.S. (1896) from Iowa Agricultural College
Served on faculty, Department of Botany
In 1896, moved to Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute
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4. Impact of Carver Research developed 325 products from peanuts
108 applications for sweet potatoes; 75 products from pecans
Responsible for the invention of a process for producing paints from soybeans
Three patents were issued between
Spingarn Medal in 1923 (Given annually by the NAACP)
Honorary doctorate in 1928, Smith College
In 1943, honored by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dedicated $30,000 for a national monument recognizing his accomplishments
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5. Employed doctoral scientists and engineers, by race/ethnicity and occupation: 2003
Source: Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities in Science and
Engineering (NSF, December 2006)

6. U.S. Census Projections (2050)
URM Population (18-24 years old) will be greater than 50%
Serious Consequences
Shortfall in STEM workforce
Enrollments in U.S. STEM academic departments need to be reflective of these changing demographics

7. The Legacy Begins: Dr. Saint Elmo Brady (1884-1966)
Born in Louisville, KY
Dr. Brady Career Highlights:
1908 B.S. in Chemistry, Fisk University
1914 M.S. in Chemistry, University of Illinois
1914 Admitted to Phi Lamda Upsilon
1915 Inducted into Sigma Xi
1916 Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Illinois (First African American)
Faculty Positions
Tuskegee University
Howard University
Fisk University
Scholarly Achievements: Published three abstracts in Science Magazine ( ); Published J. Ind. Eng. Chem. (1916); Established a summer program for infrared spectroscopy. Also published three monographs entitled “Household Chemistry for Girls.”
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8. Dr. Marie Maynard Daly (1921-2003)
Born in Corona, NY
B.S. from Queens College in 1942
M.S. from New York University in 1943
Earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1947
Dissertation Title: A Study of the Products formed by Action of Pancreatic Amylase on Corn Starch
Career Highlights
Instructor, Howard University ( )
Biochemist at Columbia University ( )
Investigated artery metabolism and the relationship between high cholesterol and heart attacks
Investigator for the American Heart Association ( )
Associate Professor of Biochemistry ( ) at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University
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9. Dr. Novella Bridges Organometallic Chemist
Native of Detroit, Michigan
B.S., Jackson State University (1994)
Earned Ph.D. (Inorganic) from Louisiana State University (2000)
Career Highlights
Research Chemist, PNNL (Richland, WA), 2001-present
JACS publication (2003) focused on Dirhodium catalysts
ACS 2004 Regional Industrial Innovation Award (with Darryl Fisher and Anna Gutowska), RadioGelTM
Research efforts: Heterogenous catalysis, Hydrogen production
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10. Professor Gregory H. Robinson: Organometallic and Main Group
B.S. from Jacksonville State U (1980)
PhD, University of Alabama (1984)
Career Highlights
Humbolt Research Fellow at the Technische Universitat Berlin (1994)
Reported first compound gallyne compound, containing a Ga-Ga triple bond (JACS, 1997)
Professor, Clemson University ( )
Professor, University of Georgia (1995-p)
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11. Conclusions
It is important to recognize everyone’s contributions to the chemical sciences.
Broadening participation in chemistry remains a real challenge.
No one size fits all—find what works
Make the commitment = time and money

12. Useful Resources Faces of Science: African Americans in Science
“Saint Elmo Brady ( ): Pioneering Black Academic Chemistry,” Florida Scientist, 2006, 69(2),
Collins, S.N. “African Americans and Science,” Chem. Eng. News, 2009, 87(43), p.3.
National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE)
(See “Our Chemistory,” for more profiles of Chemists and Chemical Engineers)